Nose bleeding is pretty common for young children and elderly folks and while it looks scary, most of the time it is not at all harmless and can be treated at home. Often times the bleeding is caused by dryness, allergies, picking of the nose or introducing object to the nose as most youngsters do. Also it could be attributed to infections, blowing of nose with brute force, blood-clotting disorders and use of cocaine. The said activities or situations causes one or several small veins on the lining of the nose to burst, thereby causing the bleeding.

As a nose bleed first aid treatment, we would like to suggest that you upon noticing the bleeding, try to look at the clock to make sure you know what time it started. After which, you may want to get an ice pack to put on the bridge of the nose. Also try to lean forward and using your thumb and index finger, squeeze the soft part of the nose to put pressure on it to cause the bleeding to stop, as we normally do on open wounds.

Now the reason we suggest that you time the start of the bleeding is because, normally the bleeding should stop within 15 minutes. If  it continues to bleed after that, it’s time to call up your doctor and ask what more should be done.

As a precautionary measure, after the bleeding try not to pick, rub or blow your nose for 2 days. Make use of a humidifier during dry weather and keep your fingernails short.